Adebayor keeping one eye on Arsenal

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Louise Thomas

Editor

Emmanuel Adebayor did not miss out on much when he temporarily lost vision in one of his eyes during the second-half. After all, Wigan is not at the top of the list when it comes to most attractive Premier League venues for away teams.

Yet the on-loan Tottenham striker's sight is unlikely to remain blurred for long. Not when he can see Arsène Wenger on the horizon. Adebayor's third game in Tottenham colours ended in a third successive league victory ahead of next Sunday's north London derby at White Hart Lane.

The former Arsenal forward played most of the second-half against Wigan with blurred vision after a collision left him unable to see properly in one eye, but is expected to make a full recovery as he seeks his first goal against Arsenal since the controversial celebration in front of Arsenal fans at Manchester City two years ago.

"I couldn't see the ball. I couldn't see my opponents or anything," said Adebayor, who remained on the pitch until the end. "But it's even better when you have one eye and you're going home with three points. I had a fantastic first half but unfortunately the second-half was quite difficult because I was playing with only one eye."

After a false start against Manchester United and Manchester City, Tottenham are now pleasing on the eye.

"We've got the makings of a really good side this season," said Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp, who was without Jermain Defoe after he was sent back to London after falling ill with a stomach bug overnight. "The team I put out against Wigan is not far from my best. We're very, very strong."

Wigan have hit an alarming slump since launching the campaign with a three-match unbeaten run, yet Roberto Martinez was doing his best to remain positive after a fourth successive defeat. "It doesn't matter how well Spurs played in the first half, the frustration was that the two goals were soft," said Wigan's manager. "It's important that you regroup and have a real reaction."

Scorers: Wigan Diame 50. Tottenham Van der Vaart 3, Bale 23.

Substitutes: Wigan Stam (Gomes, h-t), McArthur (Watson, 73), Sammon (Di Santo, 73). Tottenham Giovani (Van der Vaart, 78), Livermore (Sandro, 90).

Booked: Wigan Gohouri, McCarthy, Sammon. Spurs Adebayor. Sent-off: Wigan Gohouri (62)

Man of the match Kaboul. Match rating 7/10. Possession: Wigan 39% Tottenham 61%.

Attempts on target: Wigan 4 Tottenham 7. Referee J Moss (West Yorkshire). Att 18,788.